Meal Options/Grocery List

After feeling like I have gone to the grocery store every day after work for the past two weeks...Today I sat down and made a document (see below) with some meal options on it.  They don't have a lot of ingredients and not too much dairy either.  It seems like a lot of meat, but sometimes I don't even eat the meat I cook for my husband and just eat a salad or, for example, just the potatoes and carrots from the crock pot meal option.  We eat a salad with pretty much every dinner as a side anyway.  Then I plan on, at the end of the week (or at the beginning of the week for you) just making a quiche with the leftovers (where appropriate, not spaghetti of course!) to have just to take to work with me for lunch or just to fill in the gaps for dinner.  My plan is to just print this list to take to the grocery store with me (or saving it as a document on my email to pull up from my phone) just so I am not making so may random trips to the grocery store!

Meal Options:

Week # 1                 Week # 2               Week # 3              Week # 4

1. Spaghetti -Noodles -Sauce x 3 -Beef 2. Sweet and Sour Chicken -Nuggets x 2 -Pineapple -Pepper -Sauce x 2 -Onion 3. Chicken Stir Fry -Frozen Veggies -Chicken -Tamari sauce 4. Hamburgers -Meat -Tamari Sauce -Buns -Fries or Chips 5. Chicken Fajitas -Chicken -Peppers -Onion -Fajita Seasoning

6. Salmon -Brown Rice 7. Baked Chicken and Rice -Chicken -Lundberg Rice x 2 8. Steak -Potatoes 9. Barbeque Chicken 10. Meatloaf -Onion -Peppers -Ketchup -Egg -Bread Crumbs -Potatoes Other: Eggs       Bread       Salad Frozen Veggies     Guacamole    Corn Chips     Rice Milk    Cocoa Pretzels     Chocolate Chips   Almonds        Apples        TP Toothpaste      Deo     Dish Soap Laundry Soap  Dishwasher Detergent

11. Parm Chicken -Bread Crumbs -Spaghetti sauce -Cheese 12. Crock Pot Beef -Beef -Carrots -Onion -Potatoes 13. Chicken/Broccoli with noodles -Chicken -Broccoli -Noodles 14. Shrimp Scampi -Shrimp -Noodles -Mushrooms -Garlic -Onion 15. Chicken Tacos -Chicken -Salsa -Corn Chips -Cheese

16. Pan Burgers with Gravy -Beef -Coconut Milk -Garlic -GF flour 17. Lentil Soup -Lentils -Vegetable Broth -Bacon 18. Fried Rice -Rice -Egg - Frozen Carrots/Peas Mix 19. Pizzas -Crusts -Sauce -Mozzarella Cheese -Bacon -Mushrooms -Pineapple -Red onion 20.  Chicken Pot Pie -GF Cream of Mushroom soup x 2 -Frozen Carrots and Peas Mix -Frozen Corn -Chicken -GF Biscuit Mix

I'm back!

It wouldn't be the holidays for me without Chex Muddy Buddies, and now the name brand cereal is certified gluten free!  The recipe on the link I've shared makes 9 cups of the mix, so I'm always quick to get it out of the house and share.  Otherwise, I would (and could!) eat every delicious, little bite!  I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do!  I've included a picture of my dwindling, on-the-go, cup of inspiration (at my work space) after my most recent batch!

http://chex.com/Recipes/RecipeView.aspx?RecipeId=45860&CategoryId=447

Love this brand!

We love this brand, from their pepperoni to their bacon!  They now carry it at Publix!

 

http://www.applegatefarms.com/ourstory.aspx

Cheescake Glee!

Since I am currently detoxing, I am attempting to satisfy my sweet tooth by posting this recipe for an awesome cheesecake!

Gluten Free Cheesecake with Nut Crust Supreme

 

Gluten Free Nut Crust Supreme
2 cups Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking Mix
½ cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray cheesecake pan lightly with vegetable oil spray. In a medium bowl stir together the flour mix and brown sugar. Cut in the butter until fine crumbs form. Stir in the nuts and pat into your pan. The crust will be “crumbly” but will hold together once pressed into the pan. This will be more than enough for one large cheesecake and perhaps for a second smaller pie. Though it tastes so good on it’s own you may just end up eating it!

Barbara’s Classic Gluten Free Cheesecake
4 – 8 oz bars of gluten free cream cheese, softened
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla

*(I like to add approximately 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips too!)

Mix all of the ingredients with a beater until smooth and pour into the unbaked crust. Place in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

While that is baking, prepare the topping.

2 cups gluten free sour cream
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon of gluten free almond extract
Juice from ½ a lemon

Mix the topping ingredients in a bowl. After the first 40 minutes of baking, remove the cheesecake and spoon the topping onto the cheesecake. Be careful not to overfill the pan. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes. You may want to place a piece of foil under the cheesecake just to catch any drippings. 

*Cooking times can vary dramatically. Watch to see that it starts to solidify prior to, and after adding to the topping (keeping in mind to not let it stay in so long that the crust begins to burn).

These are a few of my favorite things!

-Hands down, Pamela’s GF Baking Mix is the one product that has made the biggest difference in making going gluten free easier.  Amazon.com has the best price when buying in bulk, but they do sell smaller bags at Earthfare and Publix if you just want to try it.  The Pamela’s website (pamelasproducts.com) has amazing recipes for about anything you can think of! 

-Probably my second favorite gluten free find is Betty Crocker's brownie mix!  It’s better than most regular brownies!  You can find it at Publix.  Betty Crocker also has a great chocolate cake mix, and their icings are labeled gluten free if they are! 

-Earthfare's “San-J” brand tamari wheat free soy sauce saves the day when it comes to stir frying and marinating with soy sauce!  Don't hesitate to take a bottle with you to your favorite suchi and japanese places to make your favorite dishes gluten free!

-Our local "Your Pie" pizzarias have a gluten free pizza!  Might I also recommend with my favorite toppings...traditional marinara, red onions, mushrooms, pineapple and mozzarella cheese!  Prepare to be amazed!  Just be sure to tell them that you need a GF crust and GF toppings separate the usual “line” where they have regular flour flying everywhere!  I was so happy to get to eat pizza again without making it myself!  But, if you are looking for a fun, stay at home pizza night, Kinnikinnick brand pizza crusts are the way to go.  They have these at Publix and Earthfare.

-Tinkyada brand rice pasta at Earthfare and Publix are great, and also, Mrs Leeper’s brand at Publix is really good too.  Both are an easy way to make all of your favorite pasta dishes GF!  

-Pamela's GF bread mix is awesome if you are wanting to make bread from scratch with less of the hassle of buying and measuring ingredients.  I just bought a bread maker and use the directions on the mix’s bag.  This mix is also great for making other types of bread, cinnamon rolls, and pizza crusts from scratch!

-Udi’s GF foods has a whole line of amazing GF bakery products!  Their bread is the best bread I've had for sandwiches.  I've heard that this is the bread they use at Jason's Deli for their gluten free items.  However, the risk for contamination is really high in their current set up, so I wouldn't really recommend taking your chances there, for now.

-Bell and Evans GF chicken nuggets/strips from Earthfare have been a lifesaver!  Any time I start feeling sorry for myself for not being able to eat out like everyone else, I just pop some of these in the oven, with some frozen fries, and it's not long before the pity-party is over.  They also make good left-overs too! 

-OK, brace yourselves....Outback Steakhouse has a whole gluten free menu!  You just ask for it when you go in, and make sure to let them know when you are ordering that you are ordering from that menu.  Also, there is an Outback in Roswell that has an extended gluten free menu that has the bloomin’ onion and other wonderful choices!  Words cant describe how awesome these foods are!

Well, my hope is that these suggestions will save you some time and money and decrease your frustration when it comes to find some good GF substitutes!

Returning to a simpler time...

The New Year always tends to make me reevaluate my routines and habits.  Lately I have caught myself making multiple trips to grocery store (which I detest) and complaining about or dreading cooking dinner (which I have never really loved doing).  So, I sit here in an attempt to return to a simpler time of planning meals and making minimal trips to the grocery store. 

When I first started going gluten free, I sat down and made a list of entrees and sides that I was used to making, were easy to make, and could easily be converted to gluten free.  Usually, the day or so prior to going to the grocery store, I would plan out the meals for the next two weeks (or more!) and make the shopping list accordingly.

Entrees

Baked Chicken (Lemon pepper/Barbecue)

Chicken noodle soup/Veggie soup/Black bean soup/Lentil soup

Salmon (or some other fish) with brown rice

Steak 

Meatloaf

Chicken stir-fry with brown rice

Spaghetti

Chicken and Broccoli with noodles

Pan burgers with brown gravy

Parmesan chicken

Fajitas

Crock pot roast with veggies

Shrimp scampi

Wings

Chicken Nuggets

Enchiladas

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Sweet and Sour Chicken (see recipe on previous Jan 4th post)

Sides

French Fries

Brown rice

Veggies, steamed or roasted (green beans, broccoli, peppers, zucchini, squash)

Black beans

Peas

Black eyed peas

Lentils

Salad

Pasta salad

Deviled Eggs

Sweet potatoes

Regular potatoes

Cooked apples with cinnamon

While, as you can see, none of these are all that exciting.  There was just something about having that list to rotate through and also having the ingredients at hand when it came time to make them.  So, here's to a year of organized grocery shopping and dread-free (well, as little as possible!) dinner planning!   

Recipe for Quick and Easy Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken

2 boxes (12 oz each) of "Bell and Evans" gluten free chicken nuggets

1 green or yellow bell pepper chopped to the size of your choice

1 small onion chopped to the size of your choice

2 small carrots chopped (optional)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh garlic or "Garlic Gold" 

1 (14 oz) can of cubed pineapple (in pineapple juice, not syrup) with the juice drained and discarded

1 and 1/2 jars (10 oz each) of "La Choy" sweet and sour sauce

Brown or white rice per package directions

Bake the “Bell and Evans” GF chicken nuggets as directed on the package until they are really, really crispy.  Start stir-frying the veggies in a pan with the olive oil and garlic until the veggies are slightly tender.  Then, add the pineapple to the veggie mixture and cook it until it is slightly tender.  Next, just add the nuggets to the veggie/pineapple mixture and add as much “La Choy” sweet and sour sauce as you want, keeping in mind that the nuggets tend to absorb some of the sauce with time.  

This, served with some white or brown rice, beats anything I’ve gotten at a Chinese place!  Makes for great leftovers too!

Hot Chocolate Recipe

Recipe for gluten free/dairy free/no sugar added Hot Chocolate!

One cup at a time:

2 teaspoons of organic, gluten free unsweetened baking cocoa

1 1/4 cup of organic, gluten free rice milk or almond milk

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of stevia sweetener

Dash or 2 of salt as desired

Add 1/4 cup of milk of your choice to microwave safe mug or cup and heat in the microwave on high heat for 1 minute.  Add cocoa, stevia, and salt to warm milk and stir until smooth.  Then slowly stir in the remaining 1 cup of milk and place mixture back into the microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.  Enjoy!

* Recipe can be multiplied as needed and warmed in a microwave safe bowl or also on the stove top